I adapted the fruit-syrup vegan carrot cake by Mäni Niall for someone who also avoids wheat. It can be made gluten-free by using buckwheat and brown rice flour, or simply wheat-free with rye and brown rice or spelt flour. All three variations have a similar taste but the buckwheat cupcakes have a much darker colour.

Ingredients

Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups buckwheat or rye flour

1 cup gluten-free brown rice flour or spelt flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional, not needed if using gluten)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup fruit juice concentrate or agave syrup

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 cups shredded carrots

1/2 cup raisins

liquid from 400 gram tin of butter beans or chickpeas

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (optional)

Frosting

1 cup cashew nuts

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

4 tablespoons maple sugar or maple syrup

liquid stevia to taste

Put the cashews in a bowl and cover them with boiling water, then set them aside.

Grate the carrots and set them aside, together with the raisins.

Preheat the oven to 180° Celsius/350° Fahrenheit. Line muffin tins with papers.

In a bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt for the cupcakes.

In another bowl, beat the butter bean liquid with an electric mixer until it starts to foam. Sprinkle the cream of tartar over it and continue to beat the mixture at medium/high speed, scraping the sides regularly, until the beaters leave trails and the mixture forms soft peaks when you lift the beaters up.

Add the oil, lemon juice, and fruit syrup to the dry mixture and stir just to combine. Scoop the dry mixture in to the beaten bean liquid and blend with the electric mixer just until combined. Add the carrots and raisins and stir with a spoon just until they are combined.

Scoop large spoonfuls of the batter into the prepared muffin papers. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in a cupcake comes out clean. Set the cupcakes on a wire rack to cool.

While the cupcakes are cooling, remove the cashews from the liquid (reserving the liquid) and put them in a grinder. Add the salt for the frosting, the vanilla extract, and the maple syrup or sugar. Blend until the mixture forms a soft paste. Add some of the reserved liquid as needed. Add liquid stevia as desired to increase the sweetness.

Frost the cupcakes with a dollop of frosting before serving.

Note: As it is written, the recipe is not very sweet. I have also made it with an extra 1/3 cup of grated carrots, double the raisins, and a little bit of stevia for a sweeter, more traditional flavour.

I was in the mood for vegetable korma, but not for ghee or cream. Instead I used cashew cream, which explains the somewhat lumpy appearance of the sauce – my grinder needs sharpening. I used green beans, carrots, sweet pepper, potato and broccoli as vegetables. I also added raisins, sultanas, cashews and almonds.

I replaced the avocado with cucumber (grated and drained) and seven cashews (soaked for one hour, drained, and ground) and used lemon juice instead of lime; I also used Greek-style dairy yoghurt instead of a vegan substitute

I didn’t serve it with lettuce or cashews

I used really big wraps

The flavours in this dish are really bold but complementary. The pineapple chutney and the coriander relish really cut through what could otherwise be a fatty filling.